How to install applications on a memory card in Xiaomi: all the ways and nuances

Why Xiaomi is limiting installation to SD-map and what to do about it

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face the problem of lack of internal memory, especially on budget models with 32 or 64 GB of storage. The logical solution is to use a microSD memory card, but here users will face an unpleasant surprise: starting with a microSD card. MIUI 9, the company significantly limited the ability to install applications on external media, unlike older versions of Android, where the Adoptable Storage feature allowed you to format the application. SD-card as part of internal memory, modern firmware Xiaomi blocks this mechanism.

The reason for this is performance and security optimization, because even cool UHS-I or A2 cards are 2-5 times faster than built-in eMMC/UFS memory. This leads to slowdowns, increased launch times and possible failures. Xiaomi also follows Google’s policy, which with Android 6.0 began to gradually abandon support for Adoptable Storage due to the risk of data loss when retrieving the card.

However, this does not mean that the use of SD-There are a few workarounds that we'll go into further detail, and it's important to understand that some methods require unlocking the bootloader or the superuser rights (root), which is insecure and can lead to unstable system operation. Therefore, before you act, assess the risks and choose the most suitable way for your model.

Official methods of use SD-Xiaomi cards (without root)

If you're not willing to risk the security or stability of the system, you should start with legal methods, and unfortunately, they're very limited in functionality, but they're good for basic tasks.

• 📁 File transfer (photo, video, music): the safest option. MIUI manually SD-map as a conservation site for a camera, gallery or download. → Warehouse → Memory map → Keep it on the map.
• 🔄 Cache movement: Some programs (such as Google Maps or Spotify) allow you to save offline data to the Internet. SD. The setting is in the parameters of a particular application.
• 📱 Use as a portable drive: by default, Xiaomi offers to format the card as FAT32/exFAT It's not going to expand the memory for the applications, but it's going to free up space in the internal storage.

The main disadvantage of official methods is the inability to install APK-You can download the files directly to the map, even if you download the application in.apk and try to install it from the map. SD, The system will still put it in the internal memory. MIUI It is impossible to get around without root.

⚠️ Note: Some users try to trick the system by creating symbolic links to application files manually, a method that only works with root rights and often leads to app crashes when updating or restarting.

Method 1: Formatting SD-The card is an internal memory (adoptable storage)

This method should theoretically work on all Xiaomi smartphones with Android 6.0+, but in practice MIUI But there's a workaround through it. ADB-commands that sometimes work on older models (e.g. Redmi Note) 4/5 or Mi A1/A2).

For this you will need:

• 💻 Computer with drivers installed ADB/Fastboot;
• 📱 Included debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (7 times) → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB);
• 💾 Class memory card A1/A2 or UHS-I (minimum 16 GB).

Steps:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and open the command line (cmd or Terminal).
2. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices must appear serial number of the device.
3. Launch the ADB: Adb shell shell shell
4. Check your ID. SD-Sm list-disks: usually the same disk:179,XX (where XX — number).
5. Format the card as internal memory (replace XX with your number): sm partition disk:179,XX private

Once the command is completed, the system will suggest that you transfer the data to the map, and it is important that this process is irreversible, since once formatted, the map will not be used on other devices without being completely cleaned.

• ⚡ Application speeds will decrease by 30-50%;
• 🔄 When you remove the map, the applications will stop working;
• 📉 Some games, for example, PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact may not be running.

Method 2: Transfer applications to SD using root rights

If you’re willing to take drastic measures, getting root rights will give you full control of the storage, a method that’s suitable for Xiaomi models with an unlocked bootloader (like the Poco F1, Redmi K20 Pro or Mi 9T).

The transfer will require:

• 🔓 Unlocked bootloader and installed Magisk or SuperSU;
• 🛠️ Annex Link2SD or App2SD (available on Google Play);
• 💾 SD-partition ext2/ext4 (You can create it with MiniTool Partition Wizard).

Instructions:

1. Install Link2SD and provide root access.
2. Select the application from the list and click Create a link.
3. Move Dalvik-cache, lib libraries and data to the second section SD-map.
4. Reset the device.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Complete control over which files to transfer;
• ✅ Ability to return the application to internal memory;
• ✅ It works even with modern versions. MIUI 13/14.

⚠️ Attention: After update MIUI through OTA The transferred applications may stop working, and before updating, it is recommended to return them to internal memory or use Magisk to save root.

Backup important data|Check the vacant space for SD-map|Install Magisk and Link2SD|Create a second section ext4 map-->

Method 3: Use SD-maps for storing application data (without transfer) APK)

If you don’t need to port the.apk files themselves, but only the cache, media, and downloadable data, many apps support this feature natively, such as:

For games (like Call of Duty Mobile or Free Fire), manual folder movement sometimes helps. Android/obb on SD-The card is used by a file manager (e.g. Solid Explorer), but after updating the game, the data can be stored again in internal memory.

How to make the application save data to the SD by default:

1. Install AppOps (root or ADB required).
2. Find the app in the list and change the android:manageExternalStorage setting to Allow.
3. Restart the application and check the storage settings.

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If the game or application does not see the files SD-map, try to create a folder Android/data/[Application package ] manually and copy the data there.

Xiaomi models that port to SD works best

Not all Xiaomi smartphones are equally good at running SD-card apps, and below is the model chart where the methods in this article show the best results (based on user reviews and tests):

On the new models (Redmi Note 11/12, Xiaomi 13), porting applications to SD is almost impossible without major system modifications, the manufacturer completely blocked this feature in the latest versions of MIUI 13/14, citing increased security and stability.

If your model doesn’t make it to the table, check it out on the 4PDA or XDA-Developers forums, which often publish custom solutions for specific devices.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When working with SD-Xiaomi users often face typical problems, and here are the most common ones and how to solve them:

• 🚫 "Failed to migrate the application": occurs when you try to move system applications or games with protection (for example, Fortnite). Link2SD root.
• 🔄 "Memory card damaged: often occurs when using cheap cards without certification A1/A2. The solution is to format the card in exFAT via PC.
• 🐢 "Apps are slowed down after transfer: slow card is to blame; solution is to buy a class card UHS-I U3 or A2 (For example, SanDisk Extreme).
• 📵 "I don’t see the card in the settings: check if the card is inserted correctly (on some Xiaomi models, the slot is hybrid - or 2). SIM, 1 SIM + SD).

Another common mistake is losing data after updating MIUI. This is because the system is resetting access rights to the SD-To avoid the problem:

1. Before updating, return all transferred applications to internal memory.
2. Make a backup of data through Mi Cloud or Google Drive.
3. After the update, repeat the transfer procedure.

⚠️ Note: If you use Adoptable Storage, never remove the memory card without first unmounting through Settings → Warehouse → Otherwise, you risk losing all the data on the map!

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On the new Xiaomi models (2022+ years), porting applications to SD is almost impossible without root, and it is better to consider alternatives: cleaning the cache, using cloud storage or buying a model with a large amount of memory.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions